Single-fiber bidirectional controller area network bus

US10615876B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• The Boeing Company · US

Inventors

• Tuong K. Truong · Redmond, US
• Eric Y. Chan · Mercer Island, US
• Dennis G. Koshinz · Bellevue, US
• Kim Quan Anh Nguyen · Seattle, US
• Barkhung Henry Pang · Mercer Island, US
• Sean M. Ramey · Lake Stevens, US
• Timothy E. Jackson · Arlington, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 16, 2019
• Grant date: Apr 7, 2020
• Expiry date: Mar 16, 2039

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04L2012/40215
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A controller area network (CAN) comprising a plurality of CAN nodes that communicate via a CAN bus that comprises a fiber optical network. The fiber optical network uses a single fiber and a single wavelength for transmit and receive, and comprises a passive reflective optical star. The reflective optical star comprises an optical mixing rod having a mirror at one end. The other end of the reflective optical star is optically coupled to the transmitters and receivers of a plurality of optical-electrical media converters by way of respective high-isolation optical Y-couplers. Each CAN node produces electrical signals (in accordance with the CAN message-based protocol) which are converted into optical pulses that are broadcast to the fiber optical network. Those optical pulses are then reflected back to all CAN nodes by the reflective optical star.